Beauty journalist Tori and finance director Aaron tied the knot in May with an effortlessly stylish, honest, relaxed and intimate city celebration. These two knew early on that the traditional big wedding wasn’t for them. Instead, they chose a quiet and meaningful day, marrying at Old Marylebone Town Hall before celebrating with close family and friends at their favourite local pub.
Tori wore a short puff-sleeve wedding dress by By Watters, paired with statement pearl block heels and a soft glam look that reflected her years of beauty expertise. The couple walked down the aisle together to a modern piano track, shared simple vows, and spent their day side by side in every moment.
This beautiful, honest and fuss-free wedding was captured perfectly by the lovely Benjamin Stuart who we are delighted to recommend. Enjoy!
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The Dress
By Watters
My dress was By Watters, from Angelica Bridal
Angelica Bridal was a fantastic, relaxed and organised experience. I went to try on the specific By Watters dress I’d seen online and emailed to let them know that was the one I was after. It was super easy to book an appointment and the staff were very friendly and relaxed; I didn’t feel pressured or rushed.
I ended up choosing the first dress I’d tried on (and visited intending to get) but the team still encouraged me to try on a few other short styles and I’m glad they did to make sure I was certain on my decision.
I always knew I wanted something a little more ‘non-traditional’. A short dress with statement heels and big sleeves instantly felt very me. I was comfortable and confident and felt special without needing a big gown.
I would definitely recommend Angelica Bridal to others. I’d also recommend Michaela Couture who did my alterations.
I wore a short veil from Richard Designs, purchased through I Do Frocks. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted a veil but as soon as I tried it on, it felt very bridal and my mum agreed so I went for it.
My shoes were Azalea Wang bought through ASOS, with more pearls added by the fabulous Michaela Couture. I chose these heels before the dress, I knew I wanted a statement heel to add some fun (and some much-needed height).
My makeup artist was Sophie Mabel from the Charlotte Tilbury Bridal team. As a beauty editor, I’ve worked with lots of makeup artists over the years and so I knew the style of makeup I wanted was in line with Charlotte Tilbury makeup; soft glam that photographs well and looks special and elegant in real life.
Sophie is a phenomenal makeup artist and was so much fun to have around. My instruction to her was makeup that photographs well, feels special, no pink on the eyes and bronzed skin. Aside from that, I let her do her thing and she totally nailed it.
My hair stylist was Yissel Tucent Herrera from HARI’s. For hair, I was super unsure what I wanted for a while, Yissel was patient in getting it right. We opted for a half-up, half down look with loose curls. I often wear my hair up with a clip day-to-day so this felt like an elevated version of that. Yissel also prepped my hair with an in-salon gloss the week before which helped massively with overall shine on the day.
My nails were also important to me, I got them done by the wonderful Georgia at Oxford Gel Nails. We settled on a modern French manicure with tiny gold star accents.
I wore a pair of earrings from Etsy that had a small drop Marquise stone, to match my engagement ring stone and then a bracelet from Accessorize, which also featured small Marquise stones. Although I wear a lot of jewellery day-to-day, I wanted to keep it minimal on the day as my dress was so big.
As a beauty journalist who writes about fragrance for a living, scent was a very important decision for me. I chose this scent before we’d even got engaged. I chose Mizensir For Your Love Eau de Parfum, created by master perfumer Alberto Morillas, who I’ve been lucky to meet. This scent is light, romantic and relaxed; designed to capture ‘olfactory sensations of a passionate kiss’. For Aaron, I chose Jo Malone’s Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense, which the team kindly engraved with his initials. This was less about the story and more because it’s an incredibly handsome scent!
The Ceremony
Aaron and I walked down the aisle together. We wanted to stick together for the entire day; that meant getting ready together, interviewing together and walking down the aisle together, which felt so special and meant we had zero nerves.
We walked down the aisle to Insight VII by Julient Marchal (a beautiful, short track for a beautiful, short aisle) and walked out to Just Like Heaven by The Cure.
We wanted a non religious ceremony and chose a modern script vows and didn’t tailor them. Instead, we chose to do private vows to each other.
I think there’s often quite a lot of pressure to tailor vows and do readings. We wanted to be as relaxed as we could and enjoy the day as much as possible, keeping the ceremony free from nerves – which included sticking to the simple vows. Doing this privately can be just as special.
Photography
We first met our photographer, Benjamin Stuart, at our dear friends’ wedding and remember his upbeat, easygoing nature; something that was very important to us.
His photos are beautiful, capturing the story of a wedding day without the need for awkward posing and lengthy photography sessions.
Ben’s kind, funny energy was exactly what we needed on the day and our pre-ceremony photo session with him was one of our favourite parts of the day.
We’ve recommended Ben to at least three friends already and tell everyone he’s part photographer / part wedding planner because he helped so much with the vision of the day. A true professional that we were incredibly lucky to have on our wedding day.
How They Met
Aaron and I met in school in 2007. We had been friends for years and finally started going out in 2012. We decided in 2023 that we wanted to get married, so we planned the engagement together. Aaron designed the ring based on what I liked and then we hopped on a plane to Dubai and got engaged.
We didn’t tell anyone our plans, making it really special having that time together, just the two of us, before telling our friends and family. We were engaged for 18 months before our wedding. We got married on our 13th dating anniversary.
The Reception
We went to the Wilton Arms pub after the ceremony and had a private room. They were incredible, so accommodating and had such fantastic energy. We opted for a Sunday lunch given it was a Sunday (and we love a roast), which suited our relaxed day well. Lots of fun and great company.
We kept the decor super simple with gold candlesticks and Jo Malone Oud Bergamot candles, personalised menus and ribbons.
Branching Out Florists in Wallingford, local to us. Cannot fault them, such fantastic service. I had no idea what flowers I wanted so they were entirely designed by the team based off my very limited guidance and they designed a stunning bridal bouquet, buttonhole and a mini bouquet for my niece.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
It seems cliché, but do it that way you both want to, not how you think you should do it. Sit down together and discuss how you both feel most comfortable and feel will celebrate your day as the couple you are. You don’t always need a crowd to feel celebrated and loved.
Many of the decisions we made were based on questioning if we ‘had’ to do things a certain way. I.e. Getting ready together in the morning versus spending the morning apart. It made no sense for us to spend the morning apart, so we didn’t. Don’t let traditions pressure you into doing things just because ‘that’s the way it’s done’.
We didn’t have a strict budget per se but spent in the region of £5,000 for the day. We did have a party a few weeks later with our friends so wanted to keep costs low for the ceremony day without sacrificing luxury on things like the hotel room (we stayed at the Landmark).
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